Winter Wonderland
by Maria Magdalene Mesmer
Summary: Time was upon them and they knew how to make it last.


**WINTER WONDERLAND**

* * *

THE TIMELESS PIECE that Kahoko knew by heart, lingered through the coldness of the night. Though the Christmas concert had just ended and there were no more guests to entertain, music can still be heard from the gardens of the school. But not as an ensemble; it came in the form of a duet.

She shivered lightly as she unpinned the wooden instrument from her shoulder. Smile forming on her lips, she turned to look at the man beside her.

Len in turn beamed back; a rare feat that sent her cheeks to glow warm against the dropping temperature.

"Perfect," he commented, tucking away his violin.

"It sure was," she agreed, feeling proud and hiding her instrument as well. "What time is your flight tomorrow?"

"Late in the afternoon," he said, grabbing their coats. "Here."

"Thanks."

They stood next to each other, marvelling at the decorations hanging from the huge Christmas tree till she saw his free hand and thought it best to keep it warm.

Discreetly as she could, she made way for his hand but, unfortunately, due to her excitement and partial clumsiness, instead of slipping her hand smoothly into his free hand, it accidentally bumped into his.

He looked at her, brow raised and one corner of his mouth turned upward in a mocking way. Adding to that, his arms flew and instinctively crossed themselves in front of them; denying her of what she was planning to do.

She responded by faking a hurt expression which she knew did not work, because he had clamped a hand over his mouth to suppress a chuckle for her failed attempt. Glaring and pouting like a little child who did not get what she wanted, she turned away from him, also folding her arms in anger.

Len couldn't stand her so he shook his head and grabbed her arm to hold her hand; weaving his fingers with hers while pulling her closer to him. Her stubbornness faded away as her cheeks went warmer. She titled her head on his shoulder.

Minutes went by as they said nothing while their eyes watched the flickering lights around the tree. The glow from the tiny colour-changing bulbs rebounded from one decoration to another, all contributing to a pleasing exhibition of radiance.

"Kahoko." Faint plume accompanied her name.

She turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"I should get you home," he whispered.

She opened her mouth but had quickly closed it back. Instead, she nodded uncertainly, lips upturned from what she heard.

"What's the matter?" he asked, glancing at the sad outline on her face.

"Nothing," she lied, shaking her head. "Let's go?"

He gathered and handed her her violin case, and took his own without letting go of her other hand. They left the school garden and found themselves wandering at the sides of the building for a quicker path around the gate. She tried making out where exactly they were with the help of one of the windows. As the clouds pulled away and moonlight struck down, she was able to see the walls clearly; and realised that they were in a spot that needs to be given respect and remembered fully.

"This brings back memories," she said as her eyes remained on the façade of the building.

He stopped and gazed at what she was looking at, where he nodded and said, "Ah."

They came face to face with the very window that introduced his music and him to her. He found himself recalling the details of that fateful afternoon where she had randomly appeared in front of him.

With her eyes closed, she stood firmly to listen to him. He thought it was rather rude of her to eavesdrop on him but she swiftly cut him off. She was so delighted and very much taken with what she had heard that it prompted her into telling him why it made her feel that way; even though he had not asked for an explanation.

It was her explanation that shocked him; primarily because it came from a student who was not from his department hence he assumed that she was a person with untrained ears for music. But she proved him wrong when the exact descriptions for his work flew rapidly out of her mouth that she had to cover her lips to stop herself and from total embarrassment.

A smile resurfaced on his lips and he wondered if she was thinking of the same. He looked at her, expecting to see her beaming at the window but he saw nothing of the like; her eyes were shaking, almost on the verge of spilling tears down her face.

"Kahoko?" He tugged her hand gently. "What's wrong?"

"I want to be with you," she sniffed, hanging her head.

"But you're with me right now," he said, unsure of what else to tell her. "If it's about tomorrow, I'll make sure that we can spend the entire morning together. But right now," he moved forward and peered over her then continued, "I think you're just tired. I need to get you home."

He turned on his heel and placed all his attention back on the path, wishing that she'd somehow cooperate with him to move pass this significant moment, which turned completely the opposite for her, and let him finally take her home safely. But she persisted and remained rooted to the ground.

At this, he lost his patience and it was obvious in his voice.

"What now?" he half-snarled at her.

"I don't want to go home . . . yet," she muttered, her hand trembled just a bit. "I want to be with you," she repeated.

He heard her gulp and felt her squeeze his hand. Len was just about to face her when she decided to continue on with her statement. "I want to be with you tonight. . . . The whole night . . . if possible."

He turned around to meet her gaze and was quite surprised at how quickly she had changed the look on her face. The teary eyes and her frowning mouth were no longer there. She looked at him with determination, cheeks turning into a stronger shade of pink, eyes looking at him with conviction, and lips quivering from her decision.

Len had an assumption but thought that it was rather impertinent of him to blurt it out at once. So he played safe and pretended that he had no clue about her wish, asking her further instead, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," she said breathlessly, taking a step forward to shorten the gap between them. Her grip tightened.

"But," he hesitated, mentally battling with his own desires, "are you sure?"

At last, she beamed and the space between them vanished. Tiptoeing to match his height, she leaned forward to brush her lips against his. He wound his arms around her, bodies pressed tightly together in the midst of the chilly season. They pulled apart and he saw the yearning in her eyes that confirmed his theory and pushed him into surrendering to her request.

He nodded, his face warming up from agreeing with her. "Should we go to my—"

"No. I want it here," she quickly added, turning to the window once more. "There."

Her gesture was crystal clear. Wordlessly, he did what he was ought to do. In just a few minutes, Len was already inside the practise room, assisting Kahoko as she climbed through the small opening of the building and into his arms. She walked off to the middle of the room whereas he closed the window, leaving a good gap for ventilation. As he turned on his heel, he saw her standing next to the piano, fingers tracing the wood that protected the ivory and ebony keys. He ambled quietly behind her.

"You all right?" he cooed, wrapping his arms around her.

His warm breath bounced on the back of her neck, rendering her silent. She nodded and twirled in response. Looking up, she saw his eyes fixed upon hers with a welcoming gaze. It drew her closer—enticing her and making her body numb at the moment. His hand gently pulled the pin that held her hair up, sending soft curled locks to tumble down her neck. He then cupped the back of her head, making her tilt and sending her eyelids to lower. He brushed his lips on hers quite lightly and quickly in small portions for a short tease. When her breathing became apparently unstable, he leaned on a little longer, filling in those empty wants he had produced.

She savoured every bit of his mouth on hers; hands came travelling down on their own, divesting the heavy articles of clothing that kept their bodies warm from the cold temperature. Coats fell to the floor with an audible thud.

He pulled away, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ears before lifting her up and settling her delicately on their rumpled coats. He stole a moment to admire and stare are her current situation.

She appeared vulnerable underneath the moonlight, but strikingly captivating. Her limbs gracefully curved in all the right positions and her hair fanned out like grapevines in a vineyard.

He hovered above; knees supporting his weight while planting kisses as hands continued to strip off the remainder of what covered her. But even with his extremely talented hands for making music, he clumsily fumbled with the zipper and strings that held her gown. She giggled at his frustration that led her to pull the bowtie on his neck.

"Calm down," she whispered, giving him a timid smile. "Why so tense?"

"Tense?" In return, he gave her a lopsided smile. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

"I guess." Her eyes averted his melting gaze. "Actually . . . I am a bit nervous."

"Don't worry." He leaned to kiss her forehead. "You're right. I'm quite nervous as well. . . . We both are."

His gentle removal of her clothes made her hands do the same careful pace for him. The first touch he made against her bare skin immediately sent tingles skipping and dancing on her spine. Temperatures rose evenly as he started terrorising every inch of her body—in places that she thought were impossible to satisfy. Worries evaporated and quickly placed by sheer pleasure. Her hunger for him grew and so was her need for air, in huge quantities. But everything came to a sudden halt when she finally felt him—within her—but not entirely.

Her half-closed eyes flew open and inside she was furiously debating whether to push him off—call the whole thing off—or not. But she asked for this; she can't just tell him to stop, not now that he seemed into it.

Kahoko sought for a distraction—a way to keep herself from panicking any further. Her hands desperately gripped the coats underneath her, trimmed nails burying into the fabric with intensity they shook uncontrollably. This caught his attention and, instantly, his hand flew to seize hers.

She looked up, tears gliding down from the corners of her eyes, and met a pair of concerned eyes. Disregarding the uncomfortable moment she was in, cheeks went red from embarrassment and an apology ready to be issued for her sudden oddity when his hand slithered over hers, lacing his fingers and grasping them firmly. Mouth parted to deliver her explanation but his lips descended for her to take. She understood and kissed him back without any questions as he resumed his slow doings.

Len pulled apart only to angle himself a little to the right, exposing his shoulder inches away from her lips. As he pressed himself closer, partially putting his weight on her; her instinct took over, biting into his bare flesh.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Kahoko felt her innocence being torn away. Her body contorted in pain accompanied with cries and whimpers. Tears trickled for unbearable agony but, gradually, she felt herself crying out for another reason as a different sensation took over—consuming her entire body just like the way it was consuming her partner. Her temperature rose higher, as if suddenly plagued by a deadly fever, burning and commanding her to cooperate with his torrid efforts of gratification.

As the night stretched on, both had forgotten the importance of time, or what it was in the first place. The hours seemed longer as they explored further into their new found satisfaction, making groans and moans sound just like the perfect duet they made with their violins earlier.

But their well-contributed performance to each other has a reward—a trophy that needs not a shelf but an escape. As the inevitable building pressure within their bodies cried out for an exit, they had to surrender and give way to the grand finale.

At last, damp bodies arched from the lapsing of emotions, they came to unparalleled fulmination, sending bits of ecstasy through their veins and on every nerve ending present in their systems. Exhaustion overshadowed them, causing his quivering limbs to topple over her trembling ones.

Len rolled over, panting as he did, to give her room but she turned to him instead. Her body, still absorbing the electrifying bliss, automatically recoiled beside him. He smiled weakly, pulling one of the coats over their bodies before snaking his arms around her warm frame.

She smiled back, her eyes darting from the glass panels on the door to the windows to note their fogged up state. She then refocused her eyes on his—eyes that indicated a silent plea for rest. Moving closer, she inhaled and smiled broader at his familiar scent, and felt her own body slowly succumbing to fatigue.

Hours went on and by the time Kahoko had cracked her eyes open, there were no sunlight yet. She bolted upright and, immediately, grabbed the nearest article of clothing to her—his crisp white long-sleeves. Her eyes stared at the rumpled coats on the floor and there, she noticed his absence. She turned around only to find him leaning against the wall and staring out the window from which they came through—and soon would be their way out—wearing only his pants, unzipped and unbuttoned.

"Hey," she called, doing one of the buttons of his shirt. "You'll catch a cold if you stay like that."

He looked back, a thin smile on his lips as he held his hand to her. "Come here."

She beamed back and crawled her way to him, stopping to give him a peck before reclining on his bare chest. As his hand gently stroked strands of red, she looked up at him and said, "Should we go now?"

"Not yet," he said. "The sun hasn't appeared yet."

"Okay." She nodded, her fingers gliding over the tiny hairs on his arms. "Ne, Len."

"Hn?"

"Will promise me you'll come back?" she started. "For this . . . and . . . for me?"

"For what happened; I'll try and only under your permission," he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. "But for you. . . . Absolutely."

Fluttering sensations at the pit of her stomach prompted her into pulling away from him. She sat across him, eyes glinting from immeasurable happiness, and pressed herself on him.

He caught her fully by the lips, his hand on her back, gently brushing her spine. As she withdrew from their little shared heat, she rested her chin on his shoulder; first, kissing the part where she bit him, then placing one on his neck.

"And when you do come back," she whispered, nibbling playfully on his earlobe. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

He threw his head back, staring at the ceiling and smiling at her notion. "I'd love that."

"But for now," she said, pulling apart and collapsing once more in his arms. "Let's make this moment last."

"That would be excellent."

* * *

Note: Thought I'd give this a shot—a one-shot to be exact. Not really going for anything explicit since I get nervous about those things. I also believe that a loving couple simply cannot "woo hoo"—_they make love_. Thank you for reading.


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